Published: Friday, November 15, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, November 14, 2013 at 8:45 p.m.

People have different reactions when they get the news. Some scream or cry. Others shut down out of fear.
Most people panic.
But when Taylor Morton, a 21-year-old football player at the University of Alabama from Centreville, heard those three dreaded words, "You've got cancer," he felt a peace beyond all understanding.
"I've been in situations in my life before where I knew that God was in control. I mean, it was still a little nerve-racking to find that news out, but I had a peace in my heart about it because of just knowing that God was in control of everything in my life," he said.
On June 17, Morton went to the emergency room with intense abdominal pain and was diagnosed with appendicitis. Hours after he arrived, doctors performed an emergency appendectomy. It wasn't until he returned for a routine post-operative exam that he learned his appendicitis was caused by a slow-growing cancerous tumor and that the disease had begun to burst through the wall of the organ and into his colon.

Alabama safety Taylor Morton (17) watches the gem from the sidelines against Georgia State at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Saturday Oct 5, 2013. Alabama beat the Panthers by a score of 45-3. (staff photo | Robert Sutton)

"It was just a follow-up appointment," he said. "We weren't expecting anything."
A week later, Morton met with an oncologist who said that most of the cancer had been removed with the appendix, but that the doctor believed the disease could have already spread to Morton's intestines. After getting a second opinion from doctors in Birmingham, Morton decided on aggressive surgery to remove part of his colon and his lymph nodes. After the procedure, the 186-pound walk-on safety lost 25 pounds in about six days as he remained in the hospital, bed-ridden and unable to keep down any substantial food.
"Well, I did eat chocolate pudding," he said, laughing. "That's the only thing I could eat in the hospital. I had a weird craving for chocolate pudding."
After his release from the hospital, Morton went to his family's home in Centreville to continue his recovery. Though the player's father, Terry Morton, said he and his wife were afraid for their son's health, he said it was easier for them to rely on their faith through Taylor's situation because of what they went through when they lost their middle son, Trent, in a four-wheeling accident in 2007.
Trent and Taylor, only 19 months apart, were naturally competitive and nearly inseparable. But on that particular Sunday, Trent went fishing with a friend after church, while Taylor stayed at home.
Trent and his friend rode four-wheelers to a pond near Alabama Highway 219 and stayed until dusk, when they decided to head back home. It was nearly nightfall, and when Trent was crossing the highway he was struck by a car and killed instantly.

Alabama safetyTaylor Morton (17) watches the gem from the sidelines against Georgia State at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Saturday Oct 5, 2013. Alabama beat the Panthers by a score of 45-3. (staff photo | Robert Sutton)

"What I remember about that day though is my dad coming in, tears in his eyes, and just telling us the news," Taylor said in a 2009 interview with The Tuscaloosa News. "My mind, my world just sort of ... I felt like nothing after that. I didn't know what to think, what to do. I felt sick at my stomach."
In Trent's pocket that day was a card with the words "Never, never quit" written on it and the Bible verse Philippians 3:14, which reads: "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Taylor now has that verse and verse 13 tattooed on his arm as a reminder of the brother he lost.
The boys' father said that Trent's death showed the family how to rely on their faith through times of hardship, so they were better prepared when Taylor received his diagnosis.
"When we heard the news about (Taylor's cancer)," Terry Morton said, "it was scary. We thought, 'What next?' Those things go through your mind as a father or a mother. I know we did a lot of praying. It gave us a sense of peace. We put it in God's hands, and it was His will that Taylor's OK."
Mike Battles, Taylor's football coach at Bibb County High School, said that when he heard of his former player's diagnosis he knew that it would be a tough road to recovery, but that Taylor would meet this challenge like he did every other: head-on.

Taylor Morton, a defensive back with the Alabama Crimson Tide football team and Christian motivational speaker, speaks to students at the Tuscaloosa First Assembly of God on Sunday, August 18, 2013. (Erin Nelson | The Tuscaloosa News)

"I never doubted he would beat it," said Battles, who now coaches at Tallassee High School. "If there's ever been an individual that could handle, emotionally and mentally, that kind of news, it's Taylor Morton."
Battles said he knew the Morton family well and that he watched Taylor cope with his brother's death and use that experience to motivate him on and off the football field. He said he knew that Taylor's faith and optimism would carry him back to health.
"He'll use this as an example of his faith," he said. "He'll take a bad moment or a bad thing and turn it into a positive, into something that can affect other people."
Taylor said that his cancer was "nothing compared to what I went through when my brother died," and that working through that loss enabled him to have a positive outlook through his fight with the disease.
"That experience taught me that no matter how bad or ugly it got, God has something good in store," he said. "When my brother was killed, I realized that life is a vapor. You have to do as much as you can."
His father agreed that Trent's death brought the family closer and that it has given Taylor the strength to remain optimistic through his cancer diagnosis and grueling recovery.

Taylor Morton, a defensive back with the Alabama Crimson Tide football team and Christian motivational speaker, speaks to students at the Tuscaloosa First Assembly of God on Sunday, August 18, 2013. (Erin Nelson / The Tuscaloosa News)

"We've already been through a lot. Taylor went through that situation with his brother and that made his faith stronger," the father said. "It makes us appreciate the simple things we are given. Taylor has a really good outlook on things. He has a strong faith and a strong desire to be what God wants him to be. I know his focus is on what's good and right."
Taylor said that his brother's death inspired him to organize a Christian youth conference, which started in 2011 and has grown into Converge Ministries, a nonprofit organization. In addition to the annual event, which features concerts and speakers and has attracted nearly 4,000 people, Taylor travels to churches across the Southeast to share his testimony.
About a week after his surgery, he spoke during two Sunday services at a church in Tallassee, almost two hours from where he was recovering.
"I don't want to miss an opportunity to share," he said. "It's a blessing that (the appendicitis) happened, or I wouldn't have known (about the cancer). It's not a coincidence; God ordained all this."
As for his athletic career, Taylor said for now he is focusing on getting back to full strength and helping his teammates improve. He began lifting weights in September, and although he can't participate in drills yet, he said he has enjoyed helping coach his teammates on the practice field.
"It's been difficult," he said of his physical recovery. "When I first got back, all the guys (on the team) were calling me skinny because I had lost so much weight. I lost a lot of strength, but I'm getting it back."
Taylor said there are still some things he can't do, such as sit-ups and contact drills, because the surgeons had to cut across his abdomen. He hopes to get back to full strength in the next few months.
"The hardest thing is not being able to play right now, but the best thing is being able to be back out their with (my teammates)," he said. "It's been good getting back to the routine. My teammates have been really supportive of me.
"My whole team was so supportive. My teammates and some of my coaches came to visit me (while I was recovering)."
Terry Morton said that everyone involved with the football program at UA was supportive of his son.

Alabama safetyTaylor Morton (17) watches the gem from the sidelines against Georgia State at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Saturday Oct 5, 2013. Alabama beat the Panthers by a score of 45-3. (staff photo | Robert Sutton)

"The coaches have been really gracious in that they've taken the time to allow him to recover," the father said. "We appreciate them taking the time to make sure he's part of the team even though he had to go through such a scary situation with that tumor."
Taylor said that when he first learned of his diagnosis, he was worried about losing practice time on the field and falling behind in school, but that he soon remembered what was truly important.
"It was a downer at first because I thought football was everything for a little bit," he said. "But then, whether I got to play again or not, I realized that football will pass away, but my relationship with Jesus Christ will last forever. I was just focused on being the man of God He called me to be instead of worrying so much about football. Needless to say, football wasn't a big priority in my life at that point. I was focused on getting better."
Though he will still have cancer screenings every three months for the foreseeable future, Taylor said he is almost back to his normal routine. In addition to being a full-time student and attending football practice four times a week, he continues to give his testimony at churches and Christian events and remains an active member of Baptist Campus Ministries.
He said that although his doctors may worry about his cancer coming back, he is focused on living his life normally.
"It's in the back of my mind, but I'm not worried about it," he said. "I can either look at it as a setback or a setup for something better."

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</style>People have different reactions when they get the news. Some scream or cry. Others shut down out of fear.
Most people panic.
But when Taylor Morton, a 21-year-old football player at the University of Alabama from Centreville, heard those three dreaded words, "You've got cancer," he felt a peace beyond all understanding.
"I've been in situations in my life before where I knew that God was in control. I mean, it was still a little nerve-racking to find that news out, but I had a peace in my heart about it because of just knowing that God was in control of everything in my life," he said.
On June 17, Morton went to the emergency room with intense abdominal pain and was diagnosed with appendicitis. Hours after he arrived, doctors performed an emergency appendectomy. It wasn't until he returned for a routine post-operative exam that he learned his appendicitis was caused by a slow-growing cancerous tumor and that the disease had begun to burst through the wall of the organ and into his colon.
<div class="picture left" style="width:278px;"> <img src="http://imageshack.com/a/img820/6134/9u5j.jpg" width="275" height="189"/> <br />Alabama safety Taylor Morton (17) watches the gem from the sidelines against Georgia State at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Saturday Oct 5, 2013. Alabama beat the Panthers by a score of 45-3. (staff photo | Robert Sutton)</div>"It was just a follow-up appointment," he said. "We weren't expecting anything."
A week later, Morton met with an oncologist who said that most of the cancer had been removed with the appendix, but that the doctor believed the disease could have already spread to Morton's intestines. After getting a second opinion from doctors in Birmingham, Morton decided on aggressive surgery to remove part of his colon and his lymph nodes. After the procedure, the 186-pound walk-on safety lost 25 pounds in about six days as he remained in the hospital, bed-ridden and unable to keep down any substantial food.
"Well, I did eat chocolate pudding," he said, laughing. "That's the only thing I could eat in the hospital. I had a weird craving for chocolate pudding."
After his release from the hospital, Morton went to his family's home in Centreville to continue his recovery. Though the player's father, Terry Morton, said he and his wife were afraid for their son's health, he said it was easier for them to rely on their faith through Taylor's situation because of what they went through when they lost their middle son, Trent, in a four-wheeling accident in 2007.
Trent and Taylor, only 19 months apart, were naturally competitive and nearly inseparable. But on that particular Sunday, Trent went fishing with a friend after church, while Taylor stayed at home.
Trent and his friend rode four-wheelers to a pond near Alabama Highway 219 and stayed until dusk, when they decided to head back home. It was nearly nightfall, and when Trent was crossing the highway he was struck by a car and killed instantly.
<div class="picture right" style="width:278px;"> <img src="http://imageshack.com/a/img842/5668/v40f.jpg" width="275" height="175"/> <br />Alabama safetyTaylor Morton (17) watches the gem from the sidelines against Georgia State at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Saturday Oct 5, 2013. Alabama beat the Panthers by a score of 45-3. (staff photo | Robert Sutton)</div>"What I remember about that day though is my dad coming in, tears in his eyes, and just telling us the news," Taylor said in a 2009 interview with The Tuscaloosa News. "My mind, my world just sort of ... I felt like nothing after that. I didn't know what to think, what to do. I felt sick at my stomach."
In Trent's pocket that day was a card with the words "Never, never quit" written on it and the Bible verse Philippians 3:14, which reads: "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Taylor now has that verse and verse 13 tattooed on his arm as a reminder of the brother he lost.
The boys' father said that Trent's death showed the family how to rely on their faith through times of hardship, so they were better prepared when Taylor received his diagnosis.
"When we heard the news about (Taylor's cancer)," Terry Morton said, "it was scary. We thought, 'What next?' Those things go through your mind as a father or a mother. I know we did a lot of praying. It gave us a sense of peace. We put it in God's hands, and it was His will that Taylor's OK."
Mike Battles, Taylor's football coach at Bibb County High School, said that when he heard of his former player's diagnosis he knew that it would be a tough road to recovery, but that Taylor would meet this challenge like he did every other: head-on.
<div class="picture left" style="width:278px;"> <img src="http://imageshack.com/a/img690/5426/wfs4.jpg" width="275" height="196"/> <br />Taylor Morton, a defensive back with the Alabama Crimson Tide football team and Christian motivational speaker, speaks to students at the Tuscaloosa First Assembly of God on Sunday, August 18, 2013. (Erin Nelson | The Tuscaloosa News)</div>"I never doubted he would beat it," said Battles, who now coaches at Tallassee High School. "If there's ever been an individual that could handle, emotionally and mentally, that kind of news, it's Taylor Morton."
Battles said he knew the Morton family well and that he watched Taylor cope with his brother's death and use that experience to motivate him on and off the football field. He said he knew that Taylor's faith and optimism would carry him back to health.
"He'll use this as an example of his faith," he said. "He'll take a bad moment or a bad thing and turn it into a positive, into something that can affect other people."
Taylor said that his cancer was "nothing compared to what I went through when my brother died," and that working through that loss enabled him to have a positive outlook through his fight with the disease.
"That experience taught me that no matter how bad or ugly it got, God has something good in store," he said. "When my brother was killed, I realized that life is a vapor. You have to do as much as you can."
His father agreed that Trent's death brought the family closer and that it has given Taylor the strength to remain optimistic through his cancer diagnosis and grueling recovery.
<div class="picture right" style="width:278px;"> <img src="http://imageshack.com/a/img545/3702/r4s8.jpg" width="275" height="201"/> <br />Taylor Morton, a defensive back with the Alabama Crimson Tide football team and Christian motivational speaker, speaks to students at the Tuscaloosa First Assembly of God on Sunday, August 18, 2013. (Erin Nelson / The Tuscaloosa News)</div>"We've already been through a lot. Taylor went through that situation with his brother and that made his faith stronger," the father said. "It makes us appreciate the simple things we are given. Taylor has a really good outlook on things. He has a strong faith and a strong desire to be what God wants him to be. I know his focus is on what's good and right."
Taylor said that his brother's death inspired him to organize a Christian youth conference, which started in 2011 and has grown into Converge Ministries, a nonprofit organization. In addition to the annual event, which features concerts and speakers and has attracted nearly 4,000 people, Taylor travels to churches across the Southeast to share his testimony.
About a week after his surgery, he spoke during two Sunday services at a church in Tallassee, almost two hours from where he was recovering.
"I don't want to miss an opportunity to share," he said. "It's a blessing that (the appendicitis) happened, or I wouldn't have known (about the cancer). It's not a coincidence; God ordained all this."
As for his athletic career, Taylor said for now he is focusing on getting back to full strength and helping his teammates improve. He began lifting weights in September, and although he can't participate in drills yet, he said he has enjoyed helping coach his teammates on the practice field.
"It's been difficult," he said of his physical recovery. "When I first got back, all the guys (on the team) were calling me skinny because I had lost so much weight. I lost a lot of strength, but I'm getting it back."
Taylor said there are still some things he can't do, such as sit-ups and contact drills, because the surgeons had to cut across his abdomen. He hopes to get back to full strength in the next few months.
"The hardest thing is not being able to play right now, but the best thing is being able to be back out their with (my teammates)," he said. "It's been good getting back to the routine. My teammates have been really supportive of me.
"My whole team was so supportive. My teammates and some of my coaches came to visit me (while I was recovering)."
Terry Morton said that everyone involved with the football program at UA was supportive of his son.
<div class="picture left" style="width:278px;"> <img src="http://imageshack.com/a/img811/8012/wn9o.jpg" width="275" height="192"/> <br />Alabama safetyTaylor Morton (17) watches the gem from the sidelines against Georgia State at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Saturday Oct 5, 2013. Alabama beat the Panthers by a score of 45-3. (staff photo | Robert Sutton)</div>"The coaches have been really gracious in that they've taken the time to allow him to recover," the father said. "We appreciate them taking the time to make sure he's part of the team even though he had to go through such a scary situation with that tumor."
Taylor said that when he first learned of his diagnosis, he was worried about losing practice time on the field and falling behind in school, but that he soon remembered what was truly important.
"It was a downer at first because I thought football was everything for a little bit," he said. "But then, whether I got to play again or not, I realized that football will pass away, but my relationship with Jesus Christ will last forever. I was just focused on being the man of God He called me to be instead of worrying so much about football. Needless to say, football wasn't a big priority in my life at that point. I was focused on getting better."
Though he will still have cancer screenings every three months for the foreseeable future, Taylor said he is almost back to his normal routine. In addition to being a full-time student and attending football practice four times a week, he continues to give his testimony at churches and Christian events and remains an active member of Baptist Campus Ministries.
He said that although his doctors may worry about his cancer coming back, he is focused on living his life normally.
"It's in the back of my mind, but I'm not worried about it," he said. "I can either look at it as a setback or a setup for something better."<center><a href="http://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=885&CID=1575112"><img src="http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/885/1480837.jpeg" width="450" height="100"></a></center>
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